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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. root — of a word
  3. pop — music
  4. root — of a plant
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. land — a country
  8. shower — rain
  9. root — the cause
  10. kick — in football
  11. rush — hurry
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. shower — to wash
  14. fall — the season
  15. chip — for betting
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. land — ground
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — soda
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. chip — to eat
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com